Indian-American Aziz Ansari ranked sixth top paid comedian

Washington: Indian-American Aziz Ansari has debuted on the Forbes list of Highest-Paid Comedians 2015 with $9.5 million in earnings, thanks to his fan-favourite role as Tom Haverford on the NBC hit “Parks and Recreation”.

Like many other celebrities, Ansari, who is ranked sixth, has taken his fame from the stage and screen to the page, the US business magazine noted.

His book, Modern Romance – a sociological investigation into the dating and love lives of millennials — earned him an advance in the seven-figures. It also brought him name recognition among Tinder-swipers and Hinge-matchers.

Jerry Seinfeld ranks as the top-earning comedian, having raked in $36 million. Kevin Hart came in second on $28.8 million with Terry Fator in third at $21.5 million.

According to Forbes, “Women are noticeably absent from the list, and in the standup and television comedy business in general-a problem that goes back decades”.

Since 1959, only three comediennes have won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album (Kathy Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin), it noted.

The list measures earnings before subtracting management fees and taxes between June 1, 2014 and June 1, 2015.

One of the most interesting developments in comedy in recent years is the growing action on the smallest screen. The Internet has given comedians new platforms on which to make money from their jokes, Forbes said.

“And just as in many areas of the entertainment industry, Netflix is changing the game. Thanks to comedy special exclusives, funnymen Peters, Louis C.K. and Ansari all added significant amounts to their earnings,” it said.

The Sangh Parivar, better known as the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) celebrated the 125th anniversary of the song in 2002. Wikimedia Commons

RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is a is an Indian right-wing

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat expressed his views on Indian Army’s preparation in his speech to RSS workers in Muzaffarpur in Bihar

Kiren Rijiju said if the Constitution permits, RSS can go ahead with its interference in military matters.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh wants to re-mould the Indian State with a military which adheres to Hindutva, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has said.

This is the message that emerges from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s speech to RSS workers in Muzaffarpur in Bihar that while the Army takes six to seven months to train its soldiers, the RSS can get its cadres ready for battle in two to three days, the CPI-M said.

“This remark has drawn widespread condemnation, with the main criticism being that the RSS chief had insulted the Indian army by claiming that the RSS can do a better job than the Army in training soldiers,” an editorial in the CPI-M journal “People’s Democracy,” said.

“While this criticism is valid, the intent of these remarks is much more serious,” it said. “The statement has revealed a vital aspect of the RSS outlook about the Army and the militarization of society.”

The editorial said: “What the RSS wants in the re-moulding of the Indian State is armed forces which adhere to Hindutva. For Bhagwat, the soldier in the Indian Army and the Swayamsevak of the RSS are on the same footing.

RSS world’s largest organisation promote Hindutva.

“Under the present Indian Constitution, such an integration of the Army and the RSS is not possible.

That is why, both the RSS clarification and the defence put out by (Minister of State for home) Kiren Rijiju makes this qualification that if the Constitution permits, the RSS can go ahead with its interference in military matters.

“The implication is ominous: a re-worked Constitution should enable this to happen.”